Victoria's Review of GOD SHAPED HOLE, by Tiffanie DeBartolo
God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book gets five stars, but doesn’t get a recommendation from me. Why? Same reason as Boy in a Band. It should come with a warning label that says: STOP! TRAGEDY INSIDE
I picked up this book because her other book (her ONLY other book), How to Kill a Rock Star, is in my top ten list of all time favorites. I resisted for a long time because of the title. Personally, I think the publisher should be summarily executed for the titles of both her books – if not the covers.
Her heroes are anti-cast for romance because physically they are beautiful in a “tragically poetic” way. Her phrase. Not mine. That alone was a breath of fresh air. Skinny shoulders would not be a typical hero descriptor.
The book grabbed hold and occupied my thoughts to the consternation of other things that needed doing. The author is a master of storytelling and emotional manipulation. Certainly, both are qualities I prize.
I just need my HEA like it’s a binky. I don’t want to read a book and spend the next week in internal angst asking, “Why? Why? Why?”
(But I will read her next book. If she ever writes again.)
Blog Day on Paranormal Romantics
I blog for Paranormal Romantics one day a month on the 20th. This month I used my microphone to give a plug for the Paranormal Romance Guild.
MY DAY TO BLOG ON PARANORMAL ROMANTICS.
http://paranormalromantics.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-plug-for-paranormal-romance-guild.html
Three Winners – 2013 REVIEWERS' CHOICE AWARDS
REVIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS were announced last night. I’m so proud to say that all three nominations won.
2013 WINNER – Best Paranormal Romance Series – BLACK SWAN
2013 WINNER – Best Paranormal
Romance Novel (General) – A
SUMMONER’S TALE
2013 WINNER – Best Paranormal Romance Novel (Vampires & Shifters) – MOONLIGHT
To everyone who voted, and especially those who campaigned by sharing, thank you more than I can say.
WHAT A THRILL !!!
Reviewers' Choice Award for 2013
NOMINATED FOR THREE 2013 Reviewers’ Choice awards.
PLEASE VOTE!
Victoria's Favorite Books Read in 2013
This is not a list of books published in 2013. It’s a list of my favorite books read this past year. You may notice that there are no paranormal or scifi books on the list. That’s not for lack of trying. I did read some. They just didn’t make the cut.
As I’ve said many times, before I began writing fiction I read every paranormal and paranormal romance that was of any consequence. Perhaps it was inevitable that I would become either saturated or bored. I have a low tolerance for repetition. Enough said. So this was a year dominated by
1. HOW TO KILL A ROCK STAR by Tiffanie DeBartolo
Published in 2005, this was NEW ADULT years before there was a label for it. Eight years out, but new to me. This is my Number One for 2013. If you love angst, neurotic characters, music and a flawless plot, I suggest you hurry to get this book. My ONLY criticism is that the author hasn’t published anything since.
http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Rock-Star-Tiffanie-DeBartolo-ebook/dp/B003H29CJI
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Published in 2004, this book had been recommended to me dozens of times by friends over the years and for some reason I ignored them. Then one day one of my street team members (Dee Bowerman) mentioned it in response to a Facebook question about what man (as opposed to boy) occupies your real man fantasies. I picked it up ($1.99 Kindle for an incredible 894 pages!!) and read the entire series nonstop. I have now been responsible for several friends finding a new series to cherish. This is a reread waiting to happen – probably several times.
There are really good reasons why – after nine years – it is still ranked… WOW!!
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1 in Books > Romance > Time Travel
- #1 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical
- #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Historical
http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Bonus-Content-Diana-Gabaldon-ebook/dp/B000FC2L1O
3.
Boy in a Band by Lisa Loomis
This book got my prize for most gut-wrenching story I ever read. I walked around in a funk for three days afterward. This is (I strongly suspect.) a true story disguised as fiction. Knowing that makes the emotional roller coaster almost unbearable. This book was painful and yet I’m not sorry I read it. I’m including a link to my full review.
MY FULL REVIEW… http://victoriadanann.me/2013/11/24/2609/
BUY ON AMAZON… http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Band-Morgan-Mallory-story-ebook/dp/B007F1VSLW
4. Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley
I have to classify this book as a guilty pleasure. On one level I’m ashamed that I liked it because, as a feminist, I shouldn’t enjoy anything that goes on my “overbearing bad boys” shelf in Goodreads. But underneath the couple’s power struggle there was a charming, sweet and real romance, the kind you rarely get in books, wherein two people are trying to work through the dynamics of melding radically different backgrounds, perspectives, and priorities into a shared life that is exciting and harmonious.
BUY ON AMAZON… http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Man-Dream-Kristen-Ashley-ebook/dp/B00AHFJACM
5. The Thoughtless Trilogy by S.C. Stephens
Riddled with flaws, but still so compelling. This book is categorized as New Adult, but should be paranormal romance because the male lead does not exist in our reality. So long as we give ourselves permission to accept that, just as we do in paranormal, we are freed to relax and enjoy. (Except for all the smacking.)
MY FULL REVIEW… http://victoriadanann.me/2013/04/04/thoughtless-book-one-thoughtless/
BUY ON AMAZON… http://www.amazon.com/Thoughtless-1-S-C-Stephens-ebook/dp/B008Y405NG
THE STORY STOP SIGN AWARDS for 2013
Have you ever been happily enjoying a promising book – you’re buying the plot, you’re relating to the characters, you’ve successfully escaped your real life – only to be slammed back to reality by a glaring (and usually senseless) error? Like all authors, I’m a reader as well and have my personal peeves.
Today I’m posting some of my top picks for worst book mistakes (no titles, no author names). Please believe me, there have been hundreds. This is just a tiny sampling and don’t think they all came from non-edited or self-published books. Oh contraire!
You are welcome to add yours and I will append them to the list. (Again, NO TITLES, NO AUTHORS.)
5. “Open ten a.m. to twelve p.m.” – I think the author meant to say twelve a.m. and not that the establishment was open for only two hours out of twenty four.
4. “Chock it up” – The phrase is “chalk it up“. It’s a reference to writing something noteworthy on a blackboard with CHALK.
3. “Faithful journey“. – Although that is entirely possible, within the context referenced the author meant to say “fateful journey“. If the writer doesn’t know the difference, I know what to say about that, but will refrain from saying it.
2. “Fire in the hold“. Although there may have been fires in ships’ holds from time to time, as there have been fires in barns, theaters and outhouses, the phrase “fire in the hole” originated with cannon fire as a warning to clear away after the fuse was lit.
1. AND THE WINNER IS… Fred Flinstone. The author, intending this reference to be a running gag, made this mistake a whopping NINE times in this book. Tragically, the author missed the tongue-in-cheek joke behind Flintstone‘s name.
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. When struck, flint fractures like glass. Flint is one of the hardest materials, close behind diamond. It takes a razor sharp edge, so is ideal for tools and weapons.
CALLING THE LIBRARY POLICE…
In an effort to practice the Golden Rule, I used to contact other authors and let them know if I found an editing issue, but I stopped the practice when I learned it wasn’t accepted as intended – as a good will gesture. As for myself, please! If you ever find an error in one of my books, let me know so that I can upload a corrected version. I would rather be embarrassed and right, then ignorant and wrong. Sincerely, Victoria